Grilled Avocados with Shrimp Ceviche and Ancho Chili Corn on the Cob

It’s Cinco de Mayo! I’m doing a little bit of recipe testing in my home kitchen today, and these two dishes came together. The great part about this meal is that it’s perfect for lunch or dinner, it can be quickly made and easily transported to a picnic, friends house, or work, and it’s healthy (even with the butter on the corn). This is a combination that I’m sure I’ll be making all summer for clients, family and friends. If you live in an apartment like me, and don’t have any outdoor space, buy a cast iron grill pan and use it to do some city grilling…

Corn on the Cob with Ancho Chili Butter

Preparation

Shrimp Ceviche

Heat the water over high heat and squeeze the lime into the water. Add the lime halves to the water too, along with 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and then add the shrimp and turn off the heat. Let the shrimp rest in the water for 1 minute. Remove the shrimp and let cool on a paper towel lined plate. Once cool, remove the tails, and chop into small pieces. Reserve 4 of the smallest shrimp and keep them whole. They look pretty placed on top when you’re serving the ceviche.

Scoop a little bit of the flesh out of each avocado half so that there is a larger “bowl” to fill, with the ceviche. Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat. Brush the avocados with oil and grill for 4 minutes, total. To get “X” grill marks, put each avocado half on the grill on an angle and don’t move the halves for 2 minutes. Pick each half up and rotate it 90°. Grill for another 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter or individual plates for serving.

Once cool, divide the shrimp ceviche into the center of each and garnish with a small, whole shrimp and a cilantro leaf.

Corn on the Cob with Ancho Chili Butter

Melt the butter with the salt and Ancho chili powder. Brush a little bit on each corn cob and grill for a few minutes, until lightly charred in places. Remove from the grill and brush with the remaining butter. Transfer to a serving platter and top with the crumbled queso and chopped scallions.